Comolli Departure Leaves More Questions Than Answers

Comolli's departure from Liverpool today certainly has raised some eyebrows among Liverpool fans. The timing of this story 2 days before an important FA cup semi final has created another media frenzy, leaving Dalglish to deal with yet more questions from the press. The internet is already alive with rumours and theories, the most likely scenario is that this news had leaked to the press early and Liverpool felt the need to get the word out immediately.

 

Back in March when Comolli was promoted to the position of 'Director of Football' John W Henry had this to say: "Damien played a leading role in our January transfer window activity with the recruitment of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.  These two additions will play a significant role in the future of the Club.  All of us at Liverpool Football Club who have been working on a day-to-day basis with Damien believe he will be a key contributor for many, many years here as we build a football operation second to none.

 

Tom Werner added this: "Damien has already demonstrated a thorough understanding of what a modern football Club needs to succeed in an ever more competitive environment.  He has made a tremendous contribution to our scouting, recruitment and player development so far.  This promotion will see him assume extra responsibilities including overseeing areas such as performance analysis, medical provision, and team administration."

 

Unfortunately Comolli's departure leaves supporters with more questions than answers, just at a time when Liverpool fans are already feeling vulnerable.

 

What did Comolli actually do?

Ever since Comolli's appointment at Liverpool, fans and pundits alike have speculated as to what Damien Comolli's role actually involved at the club. As regards player recruitment, did he he suggest players for Kenny to sign? Or was Kenny telling Damien who to go after? Most likely it was a combination of the two. We were informed by Liverpool staff and even Damien himself shortly after his appointment, that the manager would have final say on all transfers. If this were the case then it would also appear that Kenny may also have his own explaining to do.

 

Why was he sacked?

If indeed Comolli was sacked, as has been suggested, many fans will look to last summers transfers into the club and of course the Andy Carroll signing from last January. Spending £35m on Andy Carroll last January bordered on the absurd and certainly didn't reflect the 'Moneyball' approach the owners spoke so highly of. Andy Carroll - a player that had spent just 6 months in the Premier League for newly promoted Newcastle was made the most expensive British player in history (just let that sink in for a minute), not only that - he was also injured at the time we signed him! That was closely followed by the highly controversial signings of Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in the summer for a combined some of £40m. It's difficult for any club, even a club as big as Liverpool to spend £75m on players for such little return.

 

Is Dalglish in trouble too?

It would be naive to think that Kenny Dalglish doesn't also have his fair share of explaining to do, however that may well wait until the summer. If we are to believe the club, then Kenny was equally responsible for any players brought into the club.

 

Will Comolli be replaced?

Do we need another Director of Football? We never had or needed one previously but this seems to be the model our owners prefer and is certainly the norm to have someone in that role when observing American sports. One of the advantages of having a Director of Football is to maintain the structure and philosophy of a team even if there is a change in management. One thing we seemed to have been lacking recently is a philosophy. Already there have been candidates rumored with the job, such as Johan Cruyff who has recently left Ajax and David Dein (formally of Arsenal).

 

What will happen to the players brought in under the Comolli regime?

It has already been suggested by some that Andy Carroll could be moved on this summer. He's so far failed to make a real impact but one has to feel bad at the lack of games he's had recently especially given his slight improvement in form. Stewart Downing may be another likely candidate, although we are unlikely to recoup anywhere near the initial outlay, he has failed to make any impact whatsoever and may well be one of the first to be shown the exit door.

 

Whatever happens this summer, there is a worrying trend emerging under the FSG ownership. Poor handling of the Suarez affair and delayed decision making in the Managing Director appointment and the ongoing stadium saga. The honeymoon period for our American owners is well and truly over, an important offseason lies ahead.